Tombstone epitaph., 1887-11-26


 Beneath the Cruel Wheels - Coolies
 Hired to Drag the Car Once Drawn by
 Devotees.
 The announcement that the once famous festival of Juggernaut has so declined in popularity as 10 render it necessary for the priests to hire coolius to drag the car. is a measure of the extent to which the destruc- tive solvent of western thought is being applied to eastern creeds. The car of the 6 eat god of Pooree was one of the most sacred of Brahminic ''proprieties," and tha Eath Jattra festival which, in i'm portgnce, yielded to that of no other deity iI the Hindoo Pantheon. From every p1rt of the vast empire of Hindostap pill ( hns accEed to share in it, and when the CT of Juggernaut was dragged once . year from the temple in order to bathe tho gods in the cool water of the tank, Q mile and half distant, the widest en- tbusasm seized the vast multitude of de- voices. Thousands rushed to. seize, the cables, and so eager were the volunteers for this holy service that the best and greatest men of Orissa struggled with each other to obtain hold upon the ropes. To use the language of an old writer who witnessed the Rath .Jattra in It's palmy days, "they are 90 greedy and ,eaga1 to draw it that whssoever, by shouldering, crowding, showing, heaving, thrusting, or in any insolent way, can but lay . hand upon the rope they think themselves blessed and happy. And when 1t is going along the city there are many that will offer themselves co sacrifice to the idol, and desperately Ii, down on the ground that the chariot wheels, may run over them, whereby they are killed outright. Some get broken arms, some broken legs, So that many are destroyed, and think to merit heaven" 't
 US HONOR OF THE GOD.
 At even a leter date martyrs to Jugger- mn, or JaFgenna'th, as he is more cor rectly termed, were not infrequent. When I iois Buchanan was Tn pooree early in thi3 century, he describes the harsh grat- ing of the gigantic ear as it moved along, the obscene songs of the priests ill honor of Che god, and the fierce glances which the fanatics. bestowed on the beef eating In nslshmen, as q pilgrim announced him sel ready to become a sacrifice to the idol No one dariug or caring to prevent tho sci--lmniO3ti0n, the man prostrated hna in tho road before the tower as it lHo.qd along, lying on his face with his og hed forward. The multitude ig ea 1.uund him, leaving the space tat, uljl he was crushed to death by f.. Whasls of the ponderous structure. ! a1n q. wild cry of praise was raised, and as the rod was seen to "smile" at the h5ation of spouting blood the devotees threw cowries and pieces of money on the body of the victim in appreciation of the holy deed by which he had won. immor- t;lity in fine Hiu0OO Walhalla
 It is, therefore, suggestive of a strange revolution in Hindoo opinion to hear that not only are victims lacking, but that, in stead of thousands struggling for the honor of place at the drag ropes, labor ing men, at so many annas per diem, have to be hired to perform the. sacred func- ton. The awe of the Indian people for l. '.the lord of the worldn has been declin7 ing. For many years past the fame of the great god of Orissa has been on the w;ne and the time when a human sacri7 flee was deliberately offered up to the hideous idol is fast getting beyond the power of the very oldest of the old Indians 70 recall.
 NUMBER OF pEvoTEEA
 Admitting that the number of devotees this year is smaller owing to the loss of two pilgrim ships-and the prophecy that a third will be wrecked before the year is out it is undeniable that Jagganna'th is doomed, and the wealth which it brought to the priest and the towns people of Pooree is likely to vanish before many years elapse. Sometimes poor de- crepit wretch, weary of life or drugged by the priests with Indian hemp or opium, will wildly throw himself in front of the wheels, though he is usually dragged out by Che poAce, who have orders to prevent any attempts at suicide. Saddest abase- mont of all, from the standpoint of Brah- nl 1n, it happened few years ago, for J-.a llrst time in history, that, to the hor- Tor and chagrin of the priests, the car of Jcgganna'th stood still in the streets of f0ree, while the pilgrims looked on in iup'ous apathy. Yet no harm befell them, although Q subsequent famine has been aari5uled to their sacrilegious careless ne1s. However, the result has been that, though worshipers still come to Pooree, they just as frequently prefer to save themselves the trouble of hauling the gods, and as has happened on the present occasion, the priests, afraid of the idols never reaching the tank, have contracted with irreverential coolies to perform tho job for stipulated number of rupees.
 Mortality there Is, of course, still. The | poor die for want of food, of disease, and of lack of proper accommodation But there is no longer any need for interfer- ing, for the wrong will soon right itself by Jagganna'th ceasing to ''draw." The east, we fear, is already grown lax in its religious observances. The pilgrim takes third class circular ticket to the holy place. Infidel shipowners issue passes to D'Jeddah, and tourist contractor escorts the faithful over the forty miles between Mecca and the sea. The. Egyptian der wishes are becoming extremely chary about making pavement of their persons for the Saadeeyeh Sheyk to ride over, and now that the Indian exchequer is bemoan. ing the reduced returns from the Gag eanna'th trade, and coolies have to be hired 10 drag he Car we seem a long way from the titse When Job Charnock, factor ct Fort William, f7as converted to Hin-